AIPAC, AI, Crypto and Gambling Are Hiding Their Big Election Spends
From The Intercept Briefing by The Intercept
May 22, 2026 · 27 min · Season 3 · Episode 22
About this episode
The episode discusses the impact of super PACs and significant campaign spending in recent primary elections in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was decisively ousted on Tuesday night in his Kentucky primary, a win for President Donald Trump, who had launched an all-out attack on the congressman for his role in pushing for the release of the Epstein files. But in Pennsylvania, the left had a lot to celebrate. Chris Rabb won by nearly 15 points in Philadelphia in a major win for progressives. And Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union head, sailed to victory with the support of both the left and moderates. Mysterious super PACs with ties to Republican donors poured millions into influencing the election results in both states with varying degrees of success. In Kentucky, AIPAC’s super political action committee and two other groups backed by pro-Israel donors spent more than $15 million in opposition to Massie or in support of his opponent, according to Federal Election Commission reports released through Tuesday. In Pennsylvania, advertisements from Lead Left — a super PAC that reportedly has ties to Republican donors — dropped ads attacking two of the candidates as not progressive enough, leading to speculation that Republicans were trying to prop up a weaker candidate for…
People in this episode
Host: Jessica Washington
Guest: Matt Sledge
Topics covered
- election spending
- political campaigns
- super PACs
- primary races
- progressive politics
- Republican donors
Keywords
- AIPAC
- super PACs
- election results
- campaign finance
- Republican donors
- primary elections
- progressives
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: AIPAC, Lead Left, Federal Election Commission
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